Childhood
Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) grew up in a religious household as the son of a pastor in Holland. His life is often described as tortured with anxiety and mental illness.Van Gogh’s mastery and perspective was not recognised or appreciated in his lifetime.
Career
Van Gogh was a self-taught artist, who started his career copying prints and reading drawing manuals and books. Before he dedicated his life to his art, he also took up a job as an art dealer where he was exposed to many artists and movements which contributed to the definition of his post-impressionistic style.
Vincent Van Gogh Paintings
He began his artistic journey by primarily painted using dark colours, reflecting the hardship of his subjects – miners and labourers. When Vincent moved to Paris to be with his brother Theo, he was introduced to the impressionist style of painting. He began to lighten and brighten his colour palette and work on a technique of quick short brushstrokes, similar to the the impressionist painters of the time.
Self Portraits
His later artwork includes over 30 self portraits with contrasting colours and a bold composition. He was also inspired by the colours of the Provencal spring and created several paintings of the countryside such as ‘Oleanders’ and ‘The Flowering Orchard’.
For more famous painters around the world, visit: https://mocomi.com/learn/culture/famous-people/painters/
To read more interesting biographies of famous people, browse though our huge collection of short biographies for kids.